1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to lock systems generally and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a novel electronic lock system which is especially useful in monitoring use of the lock.
2. Background Art.
In many situations, it would be desirable to have a record of who opened a lock, when the lock was opened, and for how long the lock was opened. One such situation, for example, is access to slot machine mechanisms.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a lock system which is capable of monitoring use of a lock.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a lock system which can record who opened a lock, when the lock was opened, and for how long the lock was opened.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide such a lock system that is compact and can be easily retrofitted to systems in which mechanical key locks are employed.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a lock system which is economical to construct.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or be apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.